A review by coley_reads
Taming the Beast: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson by Rory Holloway, Eric Wilson

informative medium-paced

2.0

 

“From his childhood to the present, Mike has had a number of managers, everyone from Cus D’Amato to Rory Holloway to Magic Johson. To understand the challenges they faced, one would need to identify the type of animal they were dealing with. A panda would be one thing. A raccoon another. But a tiger … Well, in that case, they had a real beast on their hands. Consider these statements Mike made while under the nervous eyes of his managers: 

‘I don’t want to be a tycoon. I just want to conquer people and their souls.’ 

‘I think I’ll take a bath in his blood.’ 

‘My defense is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious… I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!’ 

‘I was spoiled, like a brat. I had anything I wanted … I’ve never had a job in my life. What I know how to do is hurt big, tough men – on the street and off.’ 

‘I’m just a … dark shadowy figure from the bowels of iniquity.’ 

‘I guess I’m gonna fade into Bolivian.’ 

“Mike’s first manager, Constantine ‘Cus’ D’Amato, was everything his name implies, an ornery cuss, an irritable old bear, whose gravelly voice delivered stern commands. He was no-nonsense. No bullshit. He came by it honestly, having been raised in the Bronx by a hard-nosed father, and having seen his older brother shot and killed while mouthing off at a police officer.” 

“Kevin Rooney was making comments about Mike Tyson and Robin Givens for the world to hear. He was talking with a slur, like Popeye and shit, and just couldn’t keep quiet. Every time a reporter put a microphone in his face, he’d use the opportunity to make another bad remark about the wife of the guy he’s training. I mean, who does that? That was Kevin, just stubborn as a mule, and he forced Mike’s hand. Mike was done with Kevin. After Kevin got fired, the whole world blamed it on me and John Horne. Must be our fault. Or Don King’s. It’s true, we was working with Don as a promoter, but none of that had a thing to do with Mike firing Kevin. We didn’t encourage it. We didn’t influence it. Mike made the decision completely on his own.” 

Kevin Rooney sued and was awarded $4,400,00. 

“Around every cesspool, you’ll find cockroaches. And when it comes to cockroaches, few are bigger than Don King.” 

“Mike was a boxing historian and enthusiast. His knowledge helped him a lot in the ring, so the fight was like slow-motion to him. When punches were coming, he was calm. Cus had him well-prepared, like a well-oiled machine. He taught Mike everything he knew, the good and bad of what to expect when he got hit, and how to hit the other guy in certain places. What to feel and what not to feel.” 

Mike was charged with rape of Desiree Washington. A girl he met at the Miss Black America pageant. He was sentenced with 6 years in prison, $30,000 in fines, and 100 hours of community service and psychotherapy. 

“He set up this bedroom in his house in Vegas, this love nest. He concealed these sophisticated video-recording devices so he can record all future sexual encounters, as evident if he get accused again.” 

Mike had a 4 year old daughter named Exodus die. Her older brother found her lifeless at home, her neck caught in their treadmill’s cable that dangled beneath the console. The girl’s mother and Mike’s former girlfriend, Sol Xochitl, had tried keeping her alive until paramedics arrived.